Stratasys Waters

A manufacturer of scientific analytical systems, Waters has upgraded its 3D printing equipment to an Objet500 Connex3 to accelerate its prototyping processes.

Waters first invested in Stratasys’ 3D printing technology six years ago, installing an Eden 250 machine, after growing impatient with the weeks of waiting for functional prototypes to be manufactured and returned. And despite the Eden 250 platform serving the company well for more than half a decade, Waters has moved to make further improvements to its manufacturing workflows.

The Objet500 Connex3, supplied by SYS Systems a Stratasys platinum partner, brings with it greater product design flexibility. Its larger bed allows bigger prototypes to be manufactured, while the printer’s ability to print in different multi-material parts simultaneously, and the myriad of available material blend and colour combinations, enables more life-like prototypes to be produced.

Waters has reported that the Connex3 platform is playing a key role in the design and manufacture of mass spectrometry systems, which are used to analyse small quantities of substances and chemical components to discover the composition. This analysis impacts a number of industries, safeguarding food and water supplies, protecting the environment, and advancing healthcare, for example, with applications including drug discovery and quality assurance procedures at beverage plants.

Before the company invested in 3D printing it would often have to wait up to eight weeks to receive a prototype order, and any modifications would mean that process having to be repeated. Now, they can have prototypes in their hands within a day, and are able to get a better idea of what their designs look like when assembled.

“As the Eden machine has performed so well, we opted to invest in another Stratasys 3D printer,” said Haydn Murray, Mechanical Design Engineer at Waters. “We particularly like its PolyJet technology as it is ideal for our high-precision assemblies, especially as we also require a high level of surface finish.”

“The Objet500 Connex3 represents an extremely flexible 3D printing solution,” commented Rob Thomson, Sales Manager at SYS Systems. “We’ve got a long-standing business relationship with Waters and we’re very pleased to help them move to the next level.”